Anthony Ramos Blew Bradley Cooper Away With One Of A Star Is Born's Most Difficult Scenes
After 2018's "A Star Is Born" dropped, everyone seemed to have Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga fever. The remake of the redo of the reversion of the original 1937 film (yes, there have been four versions) was Bradley Cooper's first time in the director's chair and, as most of us remember, became a cultural phenomenon as well as earning critical praise. For months, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing Cooper and Gaga sing about "diving in" and having a great time in "the sha-ha-sha-la-la-la-llows."
But behind popular culture's obsession with the question of whether Cooper and the good Lady were actually an item, there was a pretty decent film. Cooper had demonstrated a deftness working behind the camera, adding another string to his seemingly ever-expanding bow of talent. That no doubt played a part in convincing Steven Spielberg to hand him the reins to the upcoming "Maestro," but there's more to the success of "A Star Is Born" than Cooper's direction.
The leading man/director was aided by an excellent cast, including Gaga herself, who played his love interest and embattled singer Ally. The pop megastar had only appeared in a bit part on "The Sopranos," "American Horror Story: Hotel," "American Horror Story: Roanoke," and a couple of Robert Rodriguez films prior to starring alongside Cooper. Alongside the two leads, there were some excellent supporting performances, including one by Anthony Ramos who appeared in the original production of the alarmingly popular musical "Hamilton." The young actor was appearing in just his third film and gave a great performance as Ramon, Ally's friend. And along the way he seems to have really impressed Cooper with his acting chops.
Being real in a restricted space
In 2020, Bradley Cooper and Anthony Ramos sat down to chat about "the Fallacy of Stardom" with Interview Magazine and naturally steered from that highfalutin topic to their time on "A Star Is Born." Cooper revealed that Ramos was the only actor in the movie that he hired on the basis of an audition tape, before praising the then 28-year-old for his work in a particularly tricky scene that involved Ramos and Lady Gaga in a bathroom at the Chateau Marmont:
"The thing that made me think, 'Oh, s***, this guy's going all the way," was when I asked you, "When she gets up, if you could block her, so that when she turns, we reveal her dress and her whole look, so that you actually become the curtain?" [...] You did it perfectly, instinctually. I was jumping up and down. I think I ran in and hugged you."
The first-time director was evidently impressed by Ramos' ability to not only follow directions but "to be real within a very restricted composition and choreography." He went on to add that all he cared about "is getting people not to act, just to come from their soul, which [Ramos] did effortlessly."
Bradley Cooper doesn't seem that easy to please
There's an authenticity to Anthony Ramos and Lady Gaga's character relationship in the movie. The actor told one interviewer that on his first day, Gaga "Hugged me and she was just like 'I'm so happy you're here [...] From that moment on it was instant." With a natural bond forming between the two, it's not surprising Bradley Cooper was impressed with what he got on camera.
The "Hangover" star set himself a challenge by remaking a movie that had already been done three times. In order to build on those previous versions and legitimize his take, Cooper was no doubt anxious to get the best out of everyone involved. In the case of Ramos, who will appear in the upcoming "Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts," that's exactly what happened. The resulting praise he got from Cooper is significant if only for the fact that the actor/director clearly takes his craft so seriously.
Cooper recently spoke to Mahershala Ali in a video interview for Variety where he spoke about his approach to movie-making:
"The people that I've worked with, I have said, "I work really hard, and this isn't going to be easy." And it's because I love it so much. The thing that I just cannot live with myself is if I didn't use that time to work as hard as I could to get it to the best place it could be."
I'm not sure starting out on a movie by going up to your colleagues and telling them how hard it's all going to be is the best idea, but in Cooper's case, it at least demonstrated how seriously he takes movies. With that in mind, Ramos should be more than a bit flattered to hear the man himself extol his acting talents.